Cut Flower Care Tips

How can you keep your fresh flowers looking fabulous longer, just how they’ve been delivered by St Anne’s Florist and Gift Baskets? Here are some helpful tips to help your flowers last longer:

Source the freshest, highest quality flowers available (St Anne’s Florist and Gift Baskets has this step already covered for you).

For arrangements in vases or self contained boxes please make sure the water is topped up upon it being delivered to you, then check and keep topped up daily or at least every second day.

For flowers that are not contained within their own vase or self contained box trim all flower stems with sharp clean secateurs or scissors diagonally approx. 2-3cm’s from the bottom of the stem as soon as possible after receiving the flowers. By cutting the stems diagonally you are increasing the surface area in which the exposed cell capillaries can draw in water.

Ethylene gas is released by decaying leaf and stem trimmings, ripening fruit, cigarettes and motor vehicle exhaust gases. So trim/strip all foliage/leaves that will sit below the intended vase water line. (Do not buy cut flowers from vendors who have flower stock displayed out front of shops by the roadside or that have been standing in the sun).

Foliage on most flowers can be removed by simply grasping around the flower stem and then pulling downward gently. However hard stemmed or stems with thorns such as roses can be stripped using a small sharp knife pulled along the stem.

Choose a clean vase for your flowers. (Dirty vases decrease the life of your flowers due to harmful bacteria shortening the life of your flowers).

Do not use metallic vases as these react detrimentally with fresh cut flowers.

Arrange your flowers in the most appropriate vase, fill the vase with water ensuring the water level does not go higher than the bottom of the foliage/leaves.

Now that you have your flowers in a suitable vase, the following points are just as important to maximize the vase life of your flowers:

Keep your fresh flowers as cool as possible; out of direct sunlight; out of drafts, away from air-conditioning vents/units, away from heaters, away from lamps and strong lighting in close proximity.

Re-cut stems approx 2-3cm’s from the bottom and replace water at least every second day (more often if possible and convenient to do so).

When you are changing the water (as above) it is a good idea to scrub the vase clean with a diluted bleach solution at the same time. By changing the water and cleaning the vase regularly you are decreasing the levels of bacteria that detrimentally affect the vase life of your flowers.

Remove any decaying stems, wilted or dead flowers that have ‘seen better days’.

Sit back and absorb the beauty of fresh cut flowers.

By following the above steps, you are going to assist in maximizing the vase life of your fresh cut flowers.